- Nov 11, 2004
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http://www.timesonline.co.uk/t...ast/article3147217.ece
The White House issued a stern warning to Tehran today after Iranian speedboats buzzed three US navy ships passing through the strategic Strait of Hormuz and reportedly threatened to blow them up.
A Pentagon official said that US forces were "literally" on the verge of firing on the Iranian boats and had moved to man their guns when the Iranians turned and sped away. No shots were fired in the incident yesterday morning in one of the world's key shipping routes for crude oil.
"We urge the Iranians to refrain from such provocative actions that could lead to a dangerous incident in the future," said Gordon Johnson, spokesman for the White House's National Security Council, in a terse statement.
Details of the incident remain unclear, but the skipper of one of the five Iranians speedboats reportedly said in a radio transmission: "I?m coming at you and you will blow up in a couple of minutes."
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"It is the most serious provocation of this sort that we?ve seen yet," a Pentagon official said.
But an Iranian foreign ministry spokesman dismissed it is a routine incident. "This is an ordinary occurrence which happens every now and then for both sides," he told the IRNA news agency.
News of the stand-off emerged as President Bush prepares to leave tomorrow on a trip to the Middle East in which he is expected to tackle Iran's growing regional influence.
The face-off was the most serious such incident since the Revolutionary Guard's seizure of eight Royal Navy sailors and seven Marines from the HMS Cornwall last March in the Shatt al-Arab waterway in the Gulf. Iran claimed that the 15 had strayed into Iranian waters, which Britain denied.
The incident occurred at about 5 am local time on Sunday as a US Navy cruiser, destroyer and frigate were crossing the strait on their way into the Gulf when they were buzzed by the speedboats, which dropped boxes in the water in front of them.
Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman, said that the American vessels were in international waters, making a normal transit into the Gulf. He said that the Iranian boats were operating at "distances and speeds that showed reckless and dangerous intent ? reckless, dangerous and potentially hostile intent".
Mr Whitman said that the episode lasted 15 to 20 minutes but would not say whether officials know for certain whether the were vessels were Iranian Revolutionary Guard or regular Iranian navy. The Revolutionary Guard forces have been known to be more aggressive than the regular navy.
"At least some were visibly armed. Small Iranian fastboats made some aggressive manoeuvres against our vessels and indicated some hostile intent," he said.
The incident surprised many Iran experts who said both Washington and Tehran had made recent efforts to ?de-escalate? their confrontation. One sceptical analyst said: ?Have you ever heard of a suicide bomber saying, 'hey, I?m going to blow myself up right now'?"
Washington will want to determine whether the Iranian action was the result of overzealous Revolutionary Guards in the area acting on their own initiative or whether an intended provocation was planned in Tehran.
The second scenario would suggest Tehran was underlining its vocal opposition to Mr Bush?s Mid-East visit. His rare trip to the region is aimed at bolstering Arab support against Iran?s nuclear programme as well as shoring up troubled peace moves between the Israelis and Palestinians.
The narrow Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Persian Gulf is one of the world?s most sensitive strategic locations, with at least a fifth of the world?s crude oil supply passing through it.
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Iranian military commanders have repeatedly warned that if their country is attacked by the US, blocking the Strait?s narrow choke-point to the Persian Gulf would be one of several means of retaliation. Oil prices rose some 30 cents to over $98 a barrel after news of the incident before slipping back.
Iranian analysts urged caution, saying there had been public attempts by Tehran and Washington recently to ease tensions. The US military had also mis-read Iranian radio communications in the past, most notably in 1988 when the USS Vincennes, an American guided missile cruiser, mistakenly shot down an Iranian civilian airliner over the Strait of Hormuz, killing all 290 passengers and crew.
?I?d take this with a very large grain of salt until we get more details? who knows, this could be a turning point or it could be an isolated incident with no significance at all,? Professor Gary Sick, an Iran specialist at University of Columbia, said. ?This is contrary to all the positive signals we?ve seen in recent weeks from both sides. This strikes me really as an aberration,? Prof Sick, who served on the US National Security Council under Presidents Ford, Carter, and Reagan, told The Times.
US military commanders in Iraq have recently said the reduction of violence in Iraq was in part due to Iran stemming the flow of weapons to Iraqi militias and gave Tehran some credit for the observance of a ceasefire by Moqtada al-Sadr?s Shia Mehdi Army in Iraq.
Last week, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran?s Supreme Leader, stated that relations with the US could be restored in the future. While he insisted now was not the time to mend fences, some analysts speculated he was sending a message to US presidential candidates that less hostile American policies could lead to reconciliation.
?Both sides have made an effort to de-escalate the conflict,? Karim Sadjadpour, an Iran expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington said. ?But there are forces in both the US and Iran who don?t want to see an improvement of ties? and whenever efforts are made to reduce the tension they often-times create incidents to sabotage this confidence-building,? he told The Times.
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The White House issued a stern warning to Tehran today after Iranian speedboats buzzed three US navy ships passing through the strategic Strait of Hormuz and reportedly threatened to blow them up.
A Pentagon official said that US forces were "literally" on the verge of firing on the Iranian boats and had moved to man their guns when the Iranians turned and sped away. No shots were fired in the incident yesterday morning in one of the world's key shipping routes for crude oil.
"We urge the Iranians to refrain from such provocative actions that could lead to a dangerous incident in the future," said Gordon Johnson, spokesman for the White House's National Security Council, in a terse statement.
Details of the incident remain unclear, but the skipper of one of the five Iranians speedboats reportedly said in a radio transmission: "I?m coming at you and you will blow up in a couple of minutes."
Related Links
* How $100 oil will change your life
* For sale: West?s deadly nuclear secrets
* Woman among seven hanged in Iran
"It is the most serious provocation of this sort that we?ve seen yet," a Pentagon official said.
But an Iranian foreign ministry spokesman dismissed it is a routine incident. "This is an ordinary occurrence which happens every now and then for both sides," he told the IRNA news agency.
News of the stand-off emerged as President Bush prepares to leave tomorrow on a trip to the Middle East in which he is expected to tackle Iran's growing regional influence.
The face-off was the most serious such incident since the Revolutionary Guard's seizure of eight Royal Navy sailors and seven Marines from the HMS Cornwall last March in the Shatt al-Arab waterway in the Gulf. Iran claimed that the 15 had strayed into Iranian waters, which Britain denied.
The incident occurred at about 5 am local time on Sunday as a US Navy cruiser, destroyer and frigate were crossing the strait on their way into the Gulf when they were buzzed by the speedboats, which dropped boxes in the water in front of them.
Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman, said that the American vessels were in international waters, making a normal transit into the Gulf. He said that the Iranian boats were operating at "distances and speeds that showed reckless and dangerous intent ? reckless, dangerous and potentially hostile intent".
Mr Whitman said that the episode lasted 15 to 20 minutes but would not say whether officials know for certain whether the were vessels were Iranian Revolutionary Guard or regular Iranian navy. The Revolutionary Guard forces have been known to be more aggressive than the regular navy.
"At least some were visibly armed. Small Iranian fastboats made some aggressive manoeuvres against our vessels and indicated some hostile intent," he said.
The incident surprised many Iran experts who said both Washington and Tehran had made recent efforts to ?de-escalate? their confrontation. One sceptical analyst said: ?Have you ever heard of a suicide bomber saying, 'hey, I?m going to blow myself up right now'?"
Washington will want to determine whether the Iranian action was the result of overzealous Revolutionary Guards in the area acting on their own initiative or whether an intended provocation was planned in Tehran.
The second scenario would suggest Tehran was underlining its vocal opposition to Mr Bush?s Mid-East visit. His rare trip to the region is aimed at bolstering Arab support against Iran?s nuclear programme as well as shoring up troubled peace moves between the Israelis and Palestinians.
The narrow Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Persian Gulf is one of the world?s most sensitive strategic locations, with at least a fifth of the world?s crude oil supply passing through it.
Related Links
* How $100 oil will change your life
* For sale: West?s deadly nuclear secrets
* Woman among seven hanged in Iran
Iranian military commanders have repeatedly warned that if their country is attacked by the US, blocking the Strait?s narrow choke-point to the Persian Gulf would be one of several means of retaliation. Oil prices rose some 30 cents to over $98 a barrel after news of the incident before slipping back.
Iranian analysts urged caution, saying there had been public attempts by Tehran and Washington recently to ease tensions. The US military had also mis-read Iranian radio communications in the past, most notably in 1988 when the USS Vincennes, an American guided missile cruiser, mistakenly shot down an Iranian civilian airliner over the Strait of Hormuz, killing all 290 passengers and crew.
?I?d take this with a very large grain of salt until we get more details? who knows, this could be a turning point or it could be an isolated incident with no significance at all,? Professor Gary Sick, an Iran specialist at University of Columbia, said. ?This is contrary to all the positive signals we?ve seen in recent weeks from both sides. This strikes me really as an aberration,? Prof Sick, who served on the US National Security Council under Presidents Ford, Carter, and Reagan, told The Times.
US military commanders in Iraq have recently said the reduction of violence in Iraq was in part due to Iran stemming the flow of weapons to Iraqi militias and gave Tehran some credit for the observance of a ceasefire by Moqtada al-Sadr?s Shia Mehdi Army in Iraq.
Last week, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran?s Supreme Leader, stated that relations with the US could be restored in the future. While he insisted now was not the time to mend fences, some analysts speculated he was sending a message to US presidential candidates that less hostile American policies could lead to reconciliation.
?Both sides have made an effort to de-escalate the conflict,? Karim Sadjadpour, an Iran expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington said. ?But there are forces in both the US and Iran who don?t want to see an improvement of ties? and whenever efforts are made to reduce the tension they often-times create incidents to sabotage this confidence-building,? he told The Times.
Repost.
Elite Senior Repost Moderator
Perknose
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